Emergency Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitude towards Caring for Carbon Monoxide Poisoned Patients in Ismailia Governate, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction: Reduced fuel supply, rising electricity prices, and rising demand for home heating fuel in the winter will prompt many people to use wood and charcoal for warmth, consequently will rise fears of increasing carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. Emergency nurses need to be knowledgeable about this threatening condition to satisfactorily deal with it. Objective(s): To assess the emergency nurses' level of knowledge and attitude toward caring for carbon monoxide poisoning. Methods: A cross-sectional study was utilized. It was conducted on all nurses in the emergency department of Ismailia University Hospitals. Ninety-seven nurses were recruited as a convenient sample. Data were collected via questionnaire from April to September 2022. The questionnaire assessed nurses' demographic data, level of knowledge as well as attitude towards caring for carbon monoxide poisoned patients. Results:The findings of this study revealed that extra than of two third (68%) of the studied nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge's level, while 46.4% had a negative attitude score towards caring for carbon monoxide poisoned patients. The total knowledge score was a significant predictor of nurses 'attitude score. Conclusions: Even though the majority of the nurses in the survey had good attitude scores, the study found that more than two-thirds of them had insufficient knowledge levels. Recommendations: This study supports the necessity for in-service training courses continuity for emergency nurses to enhance their level of knowledge and attitude. Generalizing the findings, more research should be conducted on a wider scale, large probability sample and different geographical area.